NVIDIA Shield 4K Android TV Box Review with KODI & GAMES
4K HDR TV SHOWS AND MOVIES
NVIDIA SHIELD is an amazing Ultra HD streaming media player. It delivers the ultimate in picture quality with incredible 4K resolution in favorite apps like Netflix, YouTube, and VUDU, as well as the brightness, color, and detail of High Dynamic Range (HDR) in Netflix. Add in rich Dolby Atmos or 7.1 surround sound for a true home theater experience. Or plug your headphones into your SHIELD controller or SHIELD remote for a private listening experience.
Check out the review on this box.
Purchase Link
UNIVERSAL VOICE SEARCH
Quickly find what you’re looking for with Google’s advanced voice search to get content across all your apps, the latest sports scores, weather updates, and more. Just say “Big Hero 6” and get instant results from Google Play, VUDU, Disney Movies, and Starz, as well as related videos from YouTube. Search for “Modern Family” and find results from Netflix, HULU, VUDU, Google Play, YouTube, and more.
INCREDIBLE PERFORMANCE
Expand your entertainment with the best gaming streamer experience that’s 3X more powerful than Apple TV. Join GeForce NOW and enjoy unlimited streaming of popular PC games or download premium Android™ games—from family games and indie hits to the most advanced Android TV titles with rich gameplay and intense multiplayer action.
FULL SPECS
4K playback at 60 FPS (VP9, H265, H264)
4K capture at 30 FPS (H264, H265)
Supports: MPEG-2/MPEG-4/Xvid/DivX/WMV9/ASF/AVI/MKV/MOV/M2TS/MPEG-TS/H.263/H.264/H.265/VC-1/VP8/VP9
High-resolution audio playback up to 24-bit/192 kHz over HDMI and USB
High-resolution audio up-sample to 24-bit/192 kHz over USB
Supports: AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, MP3, WAVE, AMR, OGG Vorbis, FLAC, PCM, WMA, WMA-Pro, WMA-Lossless, DD+/DTS (pass-through), DTS-HD MA (pass-through), Dolby TrueHD (pass-through)
Bluetooth 4.1/BLE
HDMI 2.0 with HDCP 2.2
Two USB 3.0 (Type A)
Micro-USB 2.0
MicroSD slot
IR receiver (compatible with Logitech Harmony)
Height: 1.0 in / 25 mm
Width: 8.3 in / 210 mm
Depth: 5.1 in / 130 mm
NVIDIA Share
NVIDIA GameStreamâ„¢
YouTube
Google Play Movies & TV
Google Play Music
Photos & Videos
PLEX
VUDU
ProcessorNVIDIA® Tegra® X1 processor with a 256-core GPU and 3 GB RAMVideo Features4K HDR readyUp to 4K HDR playback at 60 FPS (H.265/HEVC)Up to 4K playback at 60 FPS (VP8, VP9, H.264, MPEG1/2)Up to 1080p playback at 60 FPS (H.263, MJPEG, MPEG4, WMV9/VC1)Format/Container support: Xvid/ DivX/ASF/AVI/MKV/MOV/M2TS/MPEG-TS/MP4/WEB-M AudioDolby Atmos and DTS-X surround sound pass through over HDMIHigh-resolution audio playback up to 24-bit/192 kHz over HDMI and USBHigh-resolution audio up-sample to 24-bit/192 kHz over USBAudio support: AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, MP3, WAVE, AMR, OGG Vorbis, FLAC, PCM, WMA, WMA-Pro, WMA-Lossless, DD+/DTS (pass-through), Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD (pass-through), DTS-X and DTS-HD (pass-through) Storage16 GB (Note: portion of storage occupied by system software).NVIDIA recommends these USB 3.0 flash drivesfor best performance and compatibility on SHIELD TV:Wireless802.11ac 2×2 MIMO 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-FiBluetooth 4.1/BLECaptive Portal supportInterfacesGigabit EthernetHDMI 2.0b with HDCP 2.2 and CEC supportTwo USB 3.0 (Type A)
Weight & SizeWeight: 8.8 oz / 250 gHeight: 3.858 in / 9.800 cmWidth: 6.26 in / 15.900 cmDepth: 1.02 in / 2.593 cm
Operating SystemAndroid 7.0 (Nougat) powered by Android TVâ„¢ and Google Castâ„¢ (Chromecast built-in)Software UpdatesSHIELD software upgrades directly from NVIDIAPower40 W power adapter (5-10 W typical consumption)Gaming FeaturesNVIDIA GeForce NOWâ„¢ game streaming serviceNVIDIA GameStreamâ„¢NVIDIA Share Included AccessoriesSHIELD Controller-Mic for voice search -Hands-free voice support-Headset jack for private listening-Dual vibration feedback-IR blaster for TV volume & power control-60+ hour gaming battery lifeSHIELD Remote-Mic for voice search-IR blaster for TV volume and power control Included Apps
NVIDIA GamesNetflixAmazon VideoYouTubeGoogle Play StoreGoogle Play Movies & TVGoogle Play MusicVUDUPLEXPhotos and Videos
Check out the review on this box.
Purchase Links
Features
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World Class PerformanceIncredibly fast and versatile enough to be a 4K HDR streamer, premium game conosle, Plex media server, smart home hub, and so much more. |
GeForce NowAn engineering breakthrough for cloud gaming. Instantly transform your SHIELD TV into a powerful GeForce-powered PC gaming rig. Hundreds of supported titles including hits like Fortnite. Features like cloud saves and cross-play you can pick up a game from wherever you left off. Try the free beta and help shape the service. The future is yours to dominate. |
Cutting the CordWith SHIELD you can cut the cord for good with live TV, DVR, and even live sports. |
Also useful: hardware that runs the apps in this guide smoothly.
- NVIDIA SHIELD TV Pro: the strongest Android TV player for Kodi and IPTV player apps, with AI upscaling and Gigabit Ethernet. Amazon UK | Amazon US | Amazon DE | Amazon FR | Amazon IT
- Google TV Streamer 4K: a simple Google TV box with Ethernet and the full Play Store. Amazon UK | Amazon US | Amazon DE | Amazon FR | Amazon IT
- Xiaomi TV Box S (3rd Gen): a cheaper Google TV box with Wi-Fi 6 and 32GB storage. Amazon UK | Amazon US | Amazon DE | Amazon FR | Amazon IT
Best IPTV boxes to buy
These are media boxes and sticks that can run players and licensed apps. The first six are Google certified Android TV or Google TV devices with Google Play; the last one, the Formuler, runs its own Android and is not certified. They are not pirate hardware. They do not come with channels or playlists. I am not claiming I personally lab-tested every SKU this month.
Buy one of these when: Fire TV sideload is a hassle on your model, you want Play Store apps on a proper TV OS, or you want a dedicated player shell behind the sofa. No Fire TV device is on this shortlist.
- NVIDIA SHIELD TV Pro: the premium pick, a certified Android TV player with AI upscaling, Dolby Vision/Atmos and Gigabit Ethernet for the main living-room telly. Amazon UK | Amazon US | Amazon DE | Amazon FR | Amazon IT
- Google TV Streamer 4K: solid Google TV living-room default with Ethernet, 32GB storage and Dolby Vision/Atmos. Amazon UK | Amazon US | Amazon DE | Amazon FR | Amazon IT
- Xiaomi TV Box S (3rd Gen): Google TV box with 32GB storage, Wi-Fi 6 and Dolby Vision/Atmos, the cheaper box route than the Streamer. Amazon UK | Amazon US | Amazon DE | Amazon FR | Amazon IT
- Xiaomi TV Stick 4K (2nd Gen): budget Google TV stick with Wi-Fi 6 and Dolby Vision/Atmos when you want HDMI-simple, not a full box. Amazon UK | Amazon US | Amazon DE | Amazon FR | Amazon IT
- Budget Google TV 4K player: a cheaper certified Google TV player for a second telly. The model differs by store, so each link names the one you get there. MECOOL KD3 (Amazon UK) | onn. Google TV 4K Streaming Box (Amazon US) | Strong LEAP-NOVA-X (Amazon DE) | Strong LEAP-NOVA-X (Amazon FR) | Strong LEAP-NOVA-X (Amazon IT)
- MECOOL MEon1: Google TV certified 4K box with AI upscaling and 32GB storage for a dedicated player behind the sofa. Amazon UK
- Formuler Z12 Ultra SE: the newest Formuler box, built around MYTVOnline 4 for IPTV playlists. It runs Formuler’s own Android rather than certified Google TV, so there is no Netflix in HD and it is the one box here without Google certification. Formuler Z12 Ultra SE (Amazon UK) | Formuler Z12 Ultra SE (Amazon US) | Formuler Z12 Ultra SE (Amazon DE) | Formuler Z12 Ultra SE (Amazon FR) | Formuler Z12 Ultra SE (Amazon IT)
Still shopping for a Fire TV device? Fine for Prime Video and the Appstore universe. Not the shortlist above. And none of these boxes magically make unlicensed streams legal.
